• 18 Jan 2024

Bihar Laghu Udyami Yojana

Why in News?

Recently, the Bihar government has approved a scheme to provide financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each to over 9.4 million poor families to create self-employment opportunities.

Key Points

• The approval to the “Bihar Laghu Udyami Yojana” (Bihar small entrepreneur scheme) was among the 18 proposals of different departments approved during the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
  • The scheme, which will continue for five years, aims to provide job opportunities to over 9.4 million poor families, whose monthly income is less than ₹6,000 a month.
  • The state industries department will implement the scheme, and beneficiaries will be selected through a computerised randomisation process.
• At least one member of the poor families will be provided grant up to ₹2 lakh in three installments to set up and run small industrial or processing units, such as handicraft, textile, saloon, eateries, among 63 types of units.
• The cabinet approved an estimated annual expenditure of ₹9.79 crore:
  • To expand the ambit of financial aid being provided to students from Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) families preparing for civil services (mains) exams.
  • EBC students preparing for other tests such as recruitment and competitive exams among others, will also get a one-time financial grant ranging from ₹75,000 to ₹30,000.

Note:

• Recently, the Bihar government released the socio-economic data in the state assembly, after releasing the caste survey report.
  • The data showed 9,433,312 families (or 34.13%) of the total 27,628,995 families in the state are economically poor.
  • Of the poor families, 3.31 million families belong to the EBCs, 2.47 million from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 2.34 million from the Scheduled Castes (SCs), 1.08 million from the general category and 201,000 families from Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Government to Make Bihar Leader in Startup Sector

Why in News?

According to the State industry minister Samir Kumar Mahaseth, the government was working on a mission to make Bihar a leader in the field of startups.

Key Points

• According to the minister at the Bihar Startup Awards 2024 event at Adhiveshan Bhawan on the occasion of National Startup Day (16^th January), Bihar will grow as its startup sector grows.
• At the event awards were presented to several startups active in the state including:
  • Medivisor Pvt Ltd received the Best Startup of the Year award, Ved Prabha Aerospace Pvt Ltd. emerged first runner-up, and Biro Power Pvt Ltd second runner-up in this category.
• Awards were also given in various categories, including women’s leadership, agriculture, information technology, e-commerce, electric vehicles and Educational technology.
• Under the Bihar Startup Policy to the entrepreneurs:
  • Interest-free seed funding of up to Rs 10 lakh is provided to budding entrepreneurs for a period of ten years.
  • A 5% higher amount is allocated as seed funding to startups initiated by women, and 15% more for startups led by scheduled castes/scheduled tribes and differently-abled individuals.
  • A grant of up to Rs 3 lakh is given to individuals participating in acceleration programs.
  • If investments are received from registered entities and angel investors, matching loans of up to Rs 50 lakh are also provided.

National Startup Day

• It is observed annually on 16^th January to appreciate and promote the Indian Startup Ecosystem.
• Startup India initiative was launched on 16^th January, 2016, with a vision to cultivate innovation, support startups, and stimulate investments.
• It encompasses initiatives like the Seed Fund scheme and Credit Guarantee Scheme, further aiding startups.
• India has emerged as the 3^rd largest ecosystem for startups globally as of 31^st May 2023.
  • India ranks 2^nd in innovation quality with top positions in the quality of scientific publications and the quality of its universities among middle-income economies.

Rajasthan’s Baran Gets Benefit of Centre’s Road Scheme

Why in News?

The tribal-dominated Baran district in Rajasthan will get the benefit of the Centre’s scheme for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) with the construction of 16 all-weather roads in the region.

• 38 habitations of the indigenous Saharia tribals will be connected with the road network after the completion of the work.

Key Points

• According to Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, there are seven approved categories of construction, which will pave the way for execution of public works worth ₹5,000 crore for constructing roads across the State.
• The new roads will include the national highways, Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana, and the roads of the Rajasthan State Highways Authority and the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CIRF).
• The 23.24-km-long roads will be constructed at a cost of ₹18.23 crore in Baran district’s Kishanganj and Shahbad panchayat samitis.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi had interacted virtually with the beneficiaries of the scheme and released the first installment of financial assistance for constructing houses.
• The Public Works Department (PWD) is instructed to start the construction work in the seven approved categories, which would include the roads and buildings covered in the Centrally funded schemes.
• The partial advance has been deposited for the roads around Pachpadra oil refinery in Barmer district and Cairn Oil and Gas Vedanta Limited in western Rajasthan.

Saharia tribe

• The Sahar, Sehariya, or Sahariya is an ethnic group in the state of Madhya Pradesh and some districts of Rajasthan.
  • They are classified as PVTGs.
• The Sahariya community considers every adult member part of a governing council which is headed by a patel.
  • They are expert woodsmen and forest product gatherers.
  • They are particularly skilled in making catechu (extract of acacia trees used variously as a food additive, dye, etc) from Khair trees.

Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF)

• The CRIF (earlier known as Central Road Fund) was established under Central Road Fund Act, 2000.
• The fund comprises a cess imposed along with excise duty on petrol and diesel.
• The administrative control of the CRIF falls under the Ministry of Finance.
  • Earlier it was under the domain of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Madhya Pradesh Government Fund Crisis

Why in News?

Madhya Pradesh government has put 370 schemes on hold due to the fund crisis. This includes schemes concerning schools, IT industry, farm loans, metro rail and Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana.

Key Points

• Officials have stated that none of the projects have been closed, but the funds are being held securely. Additionally, approval from the finance department is required before withdrawing funds for any schemes.
• The new government inherited a debt of Rs 3.5 lakh crore, and in less than a month, it has taken a fresh loan of Rs 2,000 crore.
• In the first supplementary budget of Rs 26,816.6 crore passed in the assembly in July 2023, Rs 762 crore was set aside to pay the interest of the new market loans taken by the government. The second supplementary budget will be passed in the assembly.
• Among the major financial responsibilities of the government is the Ladli Behna scheme, which needs nearly Rs 1,600 crore every month.

Tiger Found Dead in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Why in News?

Recently, a young tiger was found dead in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district.

Key Points

• The carcass of the sub-adult tiger, aged between 12 months and 18 months, was spotted in a trench in Dhamokhar range of the BTR.
• The carcass was disposed of as per guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) after an autopsy.
  • On January 9, the carcass of a young tiger, aged between 15 months and 18 months, was found lying in a trench in the Pator range of BTR.
• Madhya Pradesh retained the “tiger State” status in the recent census (2022), with the number of big cats in the State rising to 785 from 526 in 2018.
• As per the report ‘Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India-2022’, released by the NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India in July 2023, Madhya Pradesh (785) has the highest number of tigers in the country, followed by Karnataka (563) and Uttarakhand (560).

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR)

• It is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh and is spread over the Vindhya hills.
• In 1968, it was notified as a national park and in 1993 was declared a tiger reserve- under the Project Tiger Network at the neighbouring Panpatha Sanctuary.
• It derives its name from the most prominent hillock of the area, which was said to be given by Hindu Lord Rama to his brother Lakshmana to keep a watch on Lanka. Hence the name Bandhavgarh.
• It is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India as well as in the world.
• The whole park is filled with more than 20 streams out of which some of the most important streams are Johilla, Janadh, Charanganga, Damnar, Banbei, Ambanala and Andhiyari Jhiria.
  • These streams then merge into the Son river (an important southern tributary to the river Ganga).
• The important prey species consists of chital, sambhar, barking deer, nilgai, chinkara, wild pig, chowsingha, langur and rhesus macaque.
• Dependent upon them are the major predators like tiger, leopard, wild dog, wolf and jackal.

Wildlife Institute of India

• It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• It was established in 1982.
• It is based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• It offers training programs, academic courses, and advisory in wildlife research and management.

Uttar Pradesh: Favourable for Semiconductor Manufacturing Units

Why in News?

In a meeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed the presentation based on the state's proposed Semiconductor Policy 2024 and issued necessary guidelines to the officials.

Key Points

• The Chief Minister stated that semiconductor manufacturing is crucial for advancement in industries as well as efficiency expansion in devices like smartphones, computers, and medical equipment.
  • It also promotes innovation in Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Quantum Computing.
• It would contribute to the state's economic growth and innovation and also create substantial employment opportunities enhancing self-reliance in strategically important areas.
• For training the youth in semiconductor manufacturing, the Chief Minister proposed incorporating such courses in technical institutes, including the two IITs in the state.
  • Arrangements should be made for two years of training for the youth under the CM Internship Program in semiconductor industries.
• The semiconductor chip sector has announced plans to invest more than $500 billion in the last two years.
  • To attract investment in the semiconductor sector, the Government of India has decided to provide an incentive outlay of 10 billion US dollars.
• The CM suggests that the policy should include provisions for the disbursement of financial and non-financial incentives to attract global semiconductor investors.
  • Uttar Pradesh will be the fourth state in the country to do so.
• The new policy should include additional capital infusions in addition to those approved by the Government of India.
  • There should also be a provision for exemption in stamp duty on purchase/lease of land.
• Clear provisions should be made in the policy for exemption in electricity duty, dual power grid network transmission, and wheeling charges, skill development and training, patents, water supply, power banking, and research and development assistance.